“The material disintegrated in less than 6 months.”

“Dear PoPville,

The Parkside neighborhood had sidewalks installed in March 2017 and for some reason they used a different material on only two of the blocks — 2700 block of Roosevelt Pl, NE and 600 Block of Parkside between Foote St and Roosevelt. The material disintegrated in less than 6 months. At this point we are either walking on dirt or gravel and the gravel gets in our homes, cars, and lawns and is problematic for pets. Dozens of complaints were submitted over the course of a year and finally we got a response in October 2018.

In October 2018 the city, to include the city administrator’s office and DDOT, said they would install concrete/cement by December 31st. That date came and went. We were then told we’d have to wait until spring because it got too cold to pour concrete/cement. Spring came and we were told we’d have the sidewalk installation start by the end of April. It’s May 8th and crickets.

This would never happen in any of the more affluent parts of the city — I say this typing from a home that was new construction and where many of our neighbors paid for homes that were close to $500K and homes going up across the street — also new build — are starting in the low $500s. At this point, the sidewalk problem has become more than a nuisance as the 600 block of Parkside PL now has a sink hole that is adjacent to a Pepco box. This box is in the ground and exposed. Not only does it prove problematic for ADA needs but also is dangerous for anyone that is Blind or children at play.”